This topical entry deals with the field known as Electional Astrology. Electing a chart essentially means that you find a time in which to perform some important action to achieve the best results. When the solar system, and indeed all creation, is seen as being interconnected and coincidence-free, electional astrology makes perfect sense. Charts are something like maps, and why have a map at hand if you do not navigate by it? Possibly the most famous and well-studied electional chart was determined by John Dee for Elizabeth the First’s coronation, but electional astrology is used for many things. Marriages, city foundings (many older cities in Europe and the Middle East were founded on electional charts) and wars have all been determined through electing charts. Not to mention, blogs by aspiring astrology students.

Here is the chart:

Unfortunately, the morning that I wished to start this blog was pressed for time – the electional chart I had chosen for today was about twenty minutes out.  However, this one is still reasonable for my purposes.

The chart was drawn for the moment that the first post on this blog was made, at 12:10pm (Melbourne time) today. I had hoped to get it around 11:40, when the MC was conjunct Spica, but unfortunately the delay put it in the 9th House. Alas. Spica is a greatly beneficial star, but there are other star influences in this chart, namely Zuben Elgenubi, a fixed star of positive social reform.

However, this chart bodes reasonably well: Mars is contained within the house of its joy (6H) ,  out of the way, and in a sign and place where his energy can be put to work, lending the force to get the blog off the ground. Jupiter is not in a terribly good way, but is dignified through being in the 1st House and near the Ascendant. Hard aspects between the Sun and Jupiter are not terrible: In ‘The Real Astrology’ by John Frawley, he notes that under the medieval scheme, a hard aspect to Jupiter (Greater Benefic) is still infinitely preferable to a ‘harmonious’ or easy aspect to Saturn (the Greater Malefic).  Saturn is conjunct the Part of Fortune in the 8H, and very strong. Exalted in Libra, and happy to be in his own Term and Face, his better qualities will hopefully shine through and will boost the fairness and accuracy of my judgements and writings here.

The Sun, Jupiter and Mercury are all placed in angular houses, giving them accidental dignity, with an emphasis on Water and Air – intuition and intellect. Scorpio on the MC is  a decent position for it to be, as this is a professional blog (MC)  about occult and spiritual matters (Scorpio). Scorpio is a sign classically associated with priests, monks and magicians, which is good for my purposes. On 0 degrees Scorpio, the MC is quite powerful indeed – in his encyclopedia of astrology, Nicolas DeVore writes that this is a ‘sensuous and passionate’ degree.  Passion is definitely something I hope to capture in my writing and my practise as an astrologer, so that suits me.

The Sun in the 10th house, conjunct the MC itself, puts it in a powerful position. It is in Mutual Reception with Mars, where they occupy each other’s signs (Mars is the traditional ruler of Scorpio, the Sun of Leo).  This should bring out the better qualities of Mars, as it is effectively recieving favour and encouragement from the King of the chart, occupying his high place in the sky.

Unfortunately, Mercury has not fared so well – it is Combust, meaning that it is close enough to the Sun as to be effectively incinerated. Yesterday and earlier in the day, it was still Cazimi, in the heart of the Sun, where its powers were exalted and heightened through the close contact.  Perhaps I will have difficulty being understood by my readers? However, its aspects to Jupiter and the Moon, unafflicted by the malefics, means that it should be alright in the end.

The luminaries are trine, which indicates that the Sun and Moon, the King and Queen, so to speak, are in harmony. Because the Moon is close to the cusp of the 6th House (within 5 degrees), we count her in as being in the 6th House. The 6th house is unfortunate, as a rule, but the Moon is strong in her own sign and through her easy aspect to the Sun. It will be a lot of hard work, but the prospects for success are good. She is in aspect to another fixed star, Alcyone, which is a star of mysticism, but can indicate a judgemental attitude. See my comments about New Ageism in the first entry on this site, I guess.

People who are familiar with modern astrology may be wondering where the outer planets have gotten to in this chart, and why they are in the outer ring (comprising fixed stars and Arabic parts). The short answer is that I do not use them much for anything other than nativities, and even then, only in circumstances where the nativity indicates that they play a powerful role in that person’s life. The reasons for this are many, and will be the subject of another article.

Much of what I have written here about this chart will be detailed over time…terms such as ‘benefic’, ‘malefic’ and even ‘dignity’ have fallen out of use in much contemporary astrology. I take an approach of synthesis – the worthiness of traditional astrological techniques cannot be overemphasised, but those techniques and understandings which have built on them are also worthy of consideration. However, when dealing with the effects and predictions of human endevour – electing charts, horary (answering questions) and suchlike, I feel the traditional scheme of seven planets is most effective. The Outer Planets and Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) are fascinating, but one could hardly call them ‘human’.

We will have to see how the website – and by extension, my business – will fare under these influences.